ECE Coordinator Update April 2016 Early Childhood Education• Childcare provider summit- 19 providers came together on Feb. 25th to discuss the needs and opportunities for Early Childhood Ed and Childcare in the Methow. The lack of all-day care in Twisp, and for the Head Start students, and the lack of care for children ages 0-18 months, appear to be the biggest “needs”. There may be an opportunity to expand Head Start to a fullday program by partnering with the MVSD, and Little Star is considering expanding its services to younger children. The Methodist Church is also starting to offer daycare when school is out of session for breaks or professional days. ◦ MVSD and Head Start are exploring how to possibly add an afternoon component to the existing Head Start program, as early as next fall. • Childcare provider coordination- at the summit meeting we also discussed the need for more informal networking, and we have scheduled a slideshow of Anne's slides from outdoor pre-K programs in Norway at the Education Station on April 15 th (5:00). • Kindergarten Orientation “Round Up”- 32 adults attended the orientation meeting on 3/24the energy seemed positive during and after the meeting, and one parent said “my two showstoppers were addressed right out of the starting gate: can my son attend part time, and will class sizes be smaller?” • Web pages started- more to come! Please take a look- http://methow.org/schools/earlychildhood-education/ Cub Club • Four new clubs this spring, in addition to the three ongoing clubs- Nature, Garden, Cooking and Fly Fishing • 90 students signed up for these four new clubs- all have waitlists